Analysis on Randomized Controlled Trials for Acupuncture Treatment of Simple Obesity Collected from PubMed

Abstract

To analyze studies published in journals included in PubMed in terms of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for simple obesity, so as to provide a reference for subsequent RCT-related designs and results. RCT literature about acupuncture treatment of simple obesity from the PubMed database and from 2000 to 2016 was retrieved by using keywords of "obesity" "fat" "acupuncture" "joint application of acupuncture and herbal medicine" or "auricular point" "electroacupuncture", "acupoint application", or "cupping", followed by screening, extraction and evaluation of the design methodology and outcomes using Consolidated Standards for Reporting of Trials (CONSORT) and Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA). Fourteen articles from six countries in Asia examining the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in the treatment of simple obesity mainly by using acupoints of the Stomach Meridian were included. Generally, acupuncture was found to be more effective than sham acupuncture. However, PubMed did not include any RCTs comparing acupuncture with western medicine for weight loss and many problems (as details of needling manipulation, etc.) remained in the the research reports available in the database. All the existing RCTs generally affirm the positive efficacy of acupuncture for simple obesity, but high-quality RCTs, particularly those comparing acupuncture with western medicines for weight loss are lacking.